Fakin' It
by DPIH
Summary: A little holiday story to kick start December, Scotty spends the week leading up to Christmas with his family, the only problem is they think he has a girlfriend...Lilly. Will Scotty be able to convince Lilly to play along, find out?
1. It will take a bit of convincing

A/n: A little holiday story to kick start December, Scotty spends the week leading up to Christmas with his family, the only problem is they think he has a girlfriend...Lilly. Will Scotty be able to convince Lilly to play along, find out?

Fakin' it

Chapter one: It will take a bit of convincing

It was two weeks before Christmas, and Scotty entered the department for the last week of work before he and the rest of the squad had a much deserved week off. He walked towards his locker and slipped his gun in, casting a nervous look in the direction of his desk, he saw Lilly, already hard at work. This wasn't going to get any easier, he'd have to ask her at some point and he just prayed she wouldn't make fun of him or get pissed off although he knew either was more likely than not.

He was running the conversation he had had with his mother, over and over again in his head.

FLASHBACK:

Scotty was just sitting on his couch, watching TV, drinking a beer and glad for the first time that week that his mother hadn't called, asking him for the umpteenth time, If he really was going to be comming alone next week, because he must have a girl that would love to spend the holidays with him and his parents. The sharp trilling of his cell phone made him groan, he knew who it was without needing to look at the caller ID.

"Holá Mama" Scotty said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"Hola Mijo" She replied cheerfully "I was just ringing to double check if you were bringing anyone with you next week?"

"Ma, for the last time, No, it's just me" He said, standing up to go to the kitchen. If he was going to talk to him mother he was gonna need something stronger than beer. "But Mijo, surely you are seeing someone, it's been such a long time since you brought a girl home to meet us. You are almost Thirty-five aren't you gonna give your mother grandchildren soon, your father and I would love more grandchildren, we aren't gonna be alive for ever"

His mother was the queen of all guilt trips, he'd never been able to say no to her, especially when she played the grandchildren card. The trouble was he wasn't seeing anyone at the moment, the last girlfriend he brought home to meet them was Frankie, and it hadn't gone over to well when they'd found out she was still married. He was just about to tell he that he wasn't seeing anyone, when so how, he found himself saying..."I am seeing someone, but it's new, we've only been dating a few weeks" What the hell Valens? Are you lying to your mother? The woman was basically a human lie detector, she'd see right through this.

"Really, tell me about her?" His mother began excitedly; he could picture her jumping up and down with excitement "What's her name? Where did you meet her?"

A name, any girls name, Scotty desperately tried to think of any girls name he'd could give his fictional girlfriend but only one name came to his mind "Lilly" he said. Rush? Are you serious Valens? His brain screamed at him of all the women in the world he had to tell his mother he was dating his partner. Well that's just fuckin fantastic, maybe she won't remember the name of his partner, maybe...

"Don't you work with a woman named Lilly?" his mother asked, no such luck, his mother had the memory of an elephant.

"Yeah" Scotty said "That's her"

FLASHBACK END:

The rest of the conversation had gone downhill from there, before he knew it, he was agreeing to bring her along next week, so his family could meet his new Novia. Crap...Well he goes nothin' he thought as he started to walk towards her.

"Mornin' Lil" he said as casually as he could.

Lilly looked up from the report on the desk in front of her and smiled at him "Hey Scotty".

"Lil, I kinda got somethin I want to talk to you about" He began, he could feel his heart pounding so hard against his ribs, he could of sworn she would of heard it on the other side of the desk. "Sure, go ahead" Lilly replied.

"It's kind of a favour" he asked nervously.

Lilly looked across at her normally, cool, calm and collected partner who seemed to be afraid to ask her something. "Scotty, are you alright?" Lilly asked curiously, her brow furrowed in concern

"Yeah, can we talk in private" and without waiting for a reply, Scotty walked out onto the balcony and lent against the railing. Sighing, Lilly followed and as she shut the door behind her, wished she'd brought her coat with her. Hugging her arms around herself, she shivered slightly and faced him. "What did you want to ask me?" Lilly asked, noticing that he was still dressed in his warm overcoat. Scotty noticed as well and he offered his jacket to her but she declined, with a shake of her head.

"I...um...I was speaking...to my Ma' last night and she asked me if...If"

"Scotty can you hurry this up, it's freezing out here" she requested

"Right, she asked me if I was seeing someone and I said that you and I were dating" he blurted out so quickly that it took a few seconds before Lilly had registered what he had said. She opened her mouth to say something, but was lost for words. Eventually her brain reconnected with her mouth and she spoke "What did you say?" she asked

"I told her that you were my girlfriend" he said sheepishly

"Why exactly?"

"It was an accident really, it just slipped out" he said running his hand through his hair and looking at her sheepishly. Lilly sighed and turned to face the street "I guess no harm done, I suppose I don't care if she thinks we are dating" Lilly said "I mean it's not like I am ever gonna meet them"

Scotty shifted uncomfortably "That's where the favour part comes in" Scotty began and Lilly turned to face him "She wants me to bring you with me when I come over for the holidays" Lilly was speechless; she was literally at a loss for words. It was one thing for her partner to tell his parents that they were dating but now they wanted him to bring his new 'girlfriend' to the Valens's week long Christmas celebrations. "So on a scale of one to ten, how badly did I screw up?" he asked

"I...I'd say about forty-seven" Lilly said finally finding her voice, she wanted to be pissed at him, but as she looked over at her partner, at his sheepish smile and the look in his eyes that was practically begging for her not to hurl him over the side of the building, she felt her anger thaw. "So what did you want me to do?" Lilly asked

"I was kinda hoping that maybe you'd...play along...just for the week, then we can say we broke up or something" He replied cautiously

"And what do I get out of this?" Lilly asked, folding her arms across her chest

"What do you mean?" Scotty asked, his heart rate increasing, and despite the cold he felt beads of sweat meandering down the back of his neck.

"Well, you get to save face with your family, what do I get out of this deal?" Lilly asked

"What do you want?" he asked and Lilly could sense how nervous her partner was and she almost laughed, here was a guy that would face up to any doer without fear and he looked utterly petrified at what she could possible ask for in exchange for this huge favour he was asking of her.

"You buy lunch, everyday for the next six months" Lilly said and Scotty sighed in relief, if that was all she wanted it would be a piece of cake "Okay that's easy..."

"I am not done yet" she cut across him "And I get to drive the car to every interview for the next ten cases" The next ten cases? That could be long time, but Scotty was desperate to appease her so he'd do just about anything. "Okay" he said "Anything else?"

"Yeah, when you tell your family we broke up" Lilly said heading towards the door, and the warmth of the bullpen "I dumped you" she said and she flung open the door and walked back inside shutting the door behind her. Scotty was dumfounded, had she just agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend? Had Lilly Rush, ice queen of homicide, agreed to go to his families ridiculous, weeklong Christmas celebrations with him? Suddenly remembering just how cold it was outside he headed for the door, praying that he wasn't just dreaming the last ten minutes.

A/n: what do you guys think? Like it? Hate it? Think it's completely out of character of both of them? Review and let me know.


	2. The week begins

Chapter 2: The week begins

For the rest of the week, neither Lilly nor Scotty mentioned the deal they had just made. Scotty figured that she was probably still a little pissed off at him for making her do this in the first place and decided it was best not to mention it. Five o'clock on Friday afternoon, when Stillman bid them all a merry Christmas and told them he'd see all of them in a week's time, Lilly cleared her throat and looked across at her partner "So" She said lowering her voice so Vera (who had just hurried past their desks to join Jefferies in the elevator) wouldn't hear "How is this gonna work, should I meet you at your place on Monday or will you pick me up?"

Scotty stood up and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair, and started winding his long black scarf around his neck "I thought I'd pick you up, at say ten, and we can go over a few things before you meet them" Scotty said, still so glad that she'd was willing to come with him.

"Fine so I'll see you Monday then" She said somewhat coolly and she headed for the elevator.

"Lil, wait" Scotty called after her and he heard her sigh as she swivelled around to face him again, her patented ice queen stare firmly in place "I just wanna say again, that I am sorry I dragged you into all of this" He said "And that I really, really appreciate it"

Despite herself, Lilly felt her anger lessoning and she even managed a small smile "Its okay Scotty, I'll see you Monday"

"Night Lil"

"Night Scotty"

...

The weekend seemed to go too quickly for Lilly's liking; she wasn't really looking forward to spending the week with Scotty's family, pretending she and Scotty were dating. Come to think of it she wasn't even sure why she'd agreed to go in the first place, but something told her to give him a break and help him out so that's what she did.

Lilly had organised with her neighbour to take the cats for the week, she was only to thrilled that Lilly would actually be spending the holidays with someone and not by herself like she normally did, completely ignoring the entire week. She was just throwing together some last minute essentials when she heard a knock on her front door; slowly she made her way down the stairs to let him in.

"Mornin' Lil" Scotty said

"Hey" Lilly said

"Err, you almost ready to go?" He asked, shaking the newly fallen snow out of his hair.

"I guess" She said, allowing him to come into her living room "So why exactly does your family do this week long celebration thing anyway?" Lilly asked as he followed her upstairs to her room.

"Its kinda a tradition" Scotty said "Started when Mikey and I were small, we would have these huge feasts every night and on the day before Christmas Eve, Dad, Mike and I would go get our tree and we'd all decorate it together."

Lilly smiled, mostly Christmas was overlooked in her family. They would never get a tree and usually her mother would be passed out in her room to even bother getting presents for Her or Chris. Lilly had explain to Christina every year that Santa must of gotten lost on the way to their house, and he'd bring double the presents next year, but of course it never happened and Chris eventually stopped asking.

"What about you Lil, what did your family do?" Scotty asked. He knew Lilly didn't have the best childhood but surely her mother had pulled it together long enough to give her girls Christmas. When Lilly merely shrugged and picked up her suitcase, Scotty realised that he was probably wrong.

He walked with her back down the stairs and out to his car. He watched as she dropped off her spare set of keys to the neighbour and gave her a list of instructions for taking care of the cats, before she came back to the car and slipped into the passenger's seat.

The drive over to his parents was made mainly in silence; Scotty was trying not to say anything to piss her off. Lilly was staring out the window occasionally sighing, she wasn't entirely sure she was comfortable spending Christmas with Scotty.

She liked him and got on well with him but she hadn't spend any time with him outside of work and now not only was she going to spend a week with him at his parent's house, but she had to pose as his girlfriend. It was at this moment she didn't really know much about him, she'd been his friend and partner for seven years but apart from the occasional anecdote about his family he hadn't really shared much with any of them.

"So tell me something about your family" Lilly said "What are your parents like?"

"Ma came from Puerto Rico when she was five and my Dad came over from Cuba as a teenager." Scotty said as he negotiated a left turn "They met in high School and they have been together ever since and next year will be their 41st wedding anniversary" he said proudly and Lilly smiled.

Scotty told her story after story of previous Christmases he had spent with his family, having snow ball fights with Mike and his cousins, eating his mother huge Christmas dinners and him and Mike sneaking downstairs early on Christmas morning to sneak a look at their presents before their parents got up.

They finally arrived at a quaint little townhouse and Scotty parked the car and hoped out, comming around to Lilly's side to open her up her door for her. "Here we go" Scotty said as he grabbed her suitcase in one hand and his with the other. She followed him to the front door and took a deep breath as he knocked on the door.

Scotty, who was completely unaware of his partners silent panic beside him smiled widely as his father opened the door and welcomed them inside. "Holá Mijo" The old man said warmly as he pulled his son into a hug. Scotty returned the hug briefly before turning to Lilly "Dad, this is Lilly. Lil this is my father Ramiro" Lilly held out her hand to shake the elderly man's hand, but was surprised when he pulled her into a hug. Lilly wasn't used to this must affection, her own mother hadn't even ever hugged her and now, here was Scotty's father hugging her warmly and welcoming her into his home.

"Come in, and we'll get you settled in" He said and with his arm still around her waist, he guided them inside towards the kitchen. Lilly could hear several voices as they approached and she could smell something delicious wafting out and down the hall. "Scotty and Lilly are here" Ramiro announced as they walked in. She saw two people sitting at the small table, who she figured were Scotty's Brother Mike and his sister in-law Allie and the small woman by the stove must be Scotty's mother.

"Hey Ma" Scotty said with a wide smile that engulfed his whole face and he put down the suitcases to hug his mother. "Ma, Mike and Allie, this is Lilly. Lil this is my mother Rosa my brother Mike and his wife Allie" Lilly found herself being hugged and kissed by them and she was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. These people were welcoming her into their home, under the delusion that she was Scotty's girlfriend and she was starting to think that this might be harder to pull off than she first thought.

"I suppose you two want to freshen up before dinner, Scotty I set up your old room" Rosa said

"Great, where's Lil going to sleep" Scotty asked, he knew his mother wouldn't want them sharing a room. It had been the same even when he was dating Elisa and normally he would have been annoyed at the fact he had to be separated from his girlfriend but it had been the same ever since he and Mike were kids. But now that Lil was just pretending to be his girlfriend he was eternally grateful of his mother's rule.

"We don't have the room, so you too will be sharing" His mother said casually as she turned back to the stove.

Lilly eyes widen in shock and she shot Scotty an icy glare that told him in no uncertain terms that he'd better as hell fix this. "But what about your rule Ma" Scotty began trying to sound like he was curious rather than panicked.

"Oh, never mind about that. I am not that old fashioned Baby, I am sure you two can behave yourselves for a week. Now off you go and get settled in I am sure you'll want to get comfy before dinner" His mother replied and Scotty turned to Lilly and gave her what he hoped was a confident grin that didn't portray the fear he had that she was about to tear his arm off and beat him to death with it...or worse blow their cover.

"Come on Lil, I'll show you upstairs" Scotty said and after a few seconds Lilly followed him reluctantly up the stairs.

A/n: Spending the week pretending to be dating is one thing but now they also have to share a room. I certainly don't envy Scotty right now; Lil looks ready to kill him. I'll try and keep her at bay for now, please read and review.


	3. Close Quarters

Chapter 3: Close Quarters

Lilly reluctantly followed Scotty down the hallway to the room that she would be sharing with him for a week. If it wasn't bad enough that she had to pretend to be his girlfriend now she'd have to spend a whole week in the same room and in the same bed, perfect, she told herself sarcastically.

Scotty was keeping quiet, he knew Lil's anger must be at breaking point by now and he thought he'd much rather deal with stony silence, then with an all out yelling match. "Here we are" he said as he pushed open the door and revealed the small bedroom. Lilly pushed past him and her eyes scanned around the small room. One double bed with a bedside table on either side, a small chest of drawers on which Rosa had placed a vase of wildflowers and in the corner there was a green armchair. After surveying the room, Lilly turned to face Scotty, making sure that her icy mask was firmly in place. "I am really sorry Lil" Scotty began in a whisper "I didn't think Ma would put us in the same room, she's usually pretty strict about that sort of thing" He placed her bag on the floor then ran his free hand through his hair "Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll sleep on the armchair and you can have the bed" Scotty said, desperate to soothe the angry beast that was the small woman in front of him.

She sighed and rubbed her hand over her eyes "its okay Scotty, I mean were both adults, we can share a bed if it's only for a week I suppose." She said and she sat down on the edge of the bed. Scotty smiled down at her, thankful she wasn't about to rip his head off. "The bathroom is across the hall" Scotty said and he slipped out of his jacket, draping it on the back of the armchair.

Fifteen minutes later, Lilly and Scotty walked back into the kitchen where upon they were immediately pushed into seats and a large plate of something Lilly couldn't begin to decipher what it could be was placed in front of both of them.

"I am sure you two are hungry" Rosa said warmly as she passed out plates to the others and took her seat opposite Lilly.

"This looks good Ma" Mike said as he dug his fork into the pile of rice in front of him. Just as they were all tucking into their meals Lilly saw a small boy of about five enter the kitchen, clutching at a small blanket and rubbing his eyes. When he spotted Scotty, Lilly saw his face light up and he ran over to him, climbing up onto his lap.

"Uncle Scotty" He cried excitedly

"Hey Buddy" Scotty said hugging his nephew tightly "You have a good nap?" The little boy nodded and then his eyes fell on Lilly. He seemed to study her curiously for a few minutes, before his whispered to Scotty "Who's that?" his eyes still fixed on the blonde stranger at the table.

"That's Lilly" Scotty said "She's my...girlfriend, Lil this is my favourite nephew Emilio"

"But I am your only nephew" Emilio replied, leading Scotty to laugh softly and hug him again.

"Hi" Lilly said, smiling across at the little boy who she could now see bore a striking resemblance to his uncle.

"Hello" Emilio said shyly, still unsure about this Lilly person.

"Why don't you go and watch cartoon, Em" Mike said "Let your uncle eat" Emilio scowled at his father as he slid off Scotty's lap and walked off to the living room. Rosa sighed happily "They grow up so fast" she turned her smile to Lilly and Scotty "Have you two talked about having children, I am sure you would have beautiful babies" Scotty rolled his eyes

"Ma we've only been dattin' a few weeks" he said exasperatedly and he could feel Lilly's eyes boring into the back of his head. Rosa dismissed him with a wave of her hand and shook her head "I knew I wanted to be with your father forever the minute I met him, surely you feel the same about Lilly?" she asked, looking from her son to the very embarrassed Lilly.

"Leave them alone Ma" Mike cut across his mother "You were the same when I first brought Allie home to meet you"

"And I was right then too, Emilio is handsome just like his daddy"

Lilly breathed a sigh of relief, as Mike and his mother continued to argue. Not only was she Scotty's fake girlfriend, she was now apparently the future mother of their fake children. This had gone on far enough, she was going to have to talk to him tonight, tell him to get his mother to back off or their deal would be over.

Two hours later and her anger had thawed somewhat. She found herself in conversation with Allie and soon the two of them were talking like old friends. Scotty looked out at them from the kitchen and smiled. He was glad that Lil finally seemed to be enjoying herself. Maybe, just maybe they could pull this off, he though.

"Hey lover boy" Mike snapped, throwing a tea towel his brothers head "Stop drooling over your gorgeous girlfriend and come and help me with the dishes" Scotty chuckled and walked over to the sink and picked up a plate.

"Hey thanks bout earlier with Ma" Scotty began "Lil ain't exactly comfortable talkin about that kinda stuff"

"No problem" Mike said "I just remember what a pain she was when she first met Allie, after our first dinner, Allie didn't speak to me for a week" Scotty chuckled again and the two brother fell into silence as they continued to wash up. The snow was falling outside, blanketing the city in white.

A/n: I know this chapter is short but I wanted to post it before Christmas, which for those of you in the southern hemisphere is tomorrow. Merry Christmas


	4. Seeing another side

Chapter 4: Seeing another side

When they had gone up to their room that evening, Lilly was exhausted. She, Allie and Rosa had talked for hours and she was starting to feel a little more comfortable. After getting changed into her pyjamas she had walked back into the room and sat down on the bed. Scotty smiled across at her "Looks like you had fun tonight" He commented as he pulled back the covers and slid into bed.

"Yeah" She replied "I did" she slipped into bed beside him and sighed.

"I wanna say again, just how much I appreciate this Lil" Scotty said and Lilly just smiled.

"It's okay Scotty, your family is great"

"Hey I am gonna take Em to see Santa at the mall tomorrow, wanna come?" he asked

"Sure" Lilly replied "Might be fun"

"Night Lil" Scotty said as he reached up and turned off the light

"Night Scotty"

...

The next morning Lilly woke up, to find herself alone. Scotty must have gotten up awhile ago she thought as she felt his side of the bed and found it cold. She hadn't been sure about sharing the same bed as him, after all they were just partner and friends but despite herself, she had to admit that it was probably the best night sleep she'd had in ages. She hadn't shared a bed with a man since Joseph had left and there was something about not sleeping alone that appealed to her, not that she'd admit that to Scotty. Sitting up, Lilly fished some clothes out of her suitcase and crept across the hallway to the bathroom to have a shower.

When she came down stairs and walked into the kitchen, she saw Scotty, Mike and Rosa finishing off their breakfast and all smiled over at her as she walked in.

"Good morning dear" Rosa said as she got up and proceeded to pile some pancakes on a plate for her "Sleep well?"

"Yeah" she replied honestly

"Well, I better go get Emilio ready for his day with his uncle" Mike said as he got up from the table. Rosa said something about making sure Ramiro was awake and she also left.

"Are you sure you wanna come with me today? I mean I'd understand if you wanted to stay here" Scotty asked as he poured her a coffee.

"Of course I wanna come with you" Lilly said "Unless you want me to stay here, your Mom has offered to show me all your baby pictures" she teased and Scotty groaned.

"She wants to show those to everyone I bring to meet them" Scotty groused. Lilly chuckled as she looked across at her partner, trying to picture him as a young boy, getting excited about the imminent arrival of Santa, brining his sleigh full of presents.

At ten 'clock they set out Emilio trailing behind them as they walked towards Scotty's car.

"So what are you gonna asked Santa for Lil?" Scotty asked his usual cocky grin plastered across his face. Lilly was about to reply when a snowball hit the back of Scotty's head, the fresh snow slipped down the back of his jacket and Scotty shocked face made her breakdown in fits of laughter. Scotty whirled around to see his cheeky faced nephew running behind the big tree oak tree on the front lawn. Scotty turned back to Lilly who was still doubled over with laughter and a determined look appeared on his face. "Oh you are gonna get it now Rush" he said and he bent down and balled up a large clump of snow Lilly shrieked with laughter as he threw it at her and she returned fire.

Emilio watched the two adults throwing numerous snowballs at each other occasionally throwing one of his own. When one of his hit Scotty square on the face, his uncle fixed him with a mock angry glare and chased his nephew across the lawn finally catching him and tickling him mercilessly. Lilly had never seen this side of her partner, if she hadn't seen him playing with Emilio; she would never have thought he was so good with kids. When they were eventually on their way to the mall and Scotty had removed a large majority of the snow out of his hair, Lilly looked curiously at him.

"What?" Scotty asked as he drove carefully on the snowy streets

"It's nothing" Lilly said "It's just I never thought of you as being good with kids"

Scotty grinned at her "Yeah I love kids, away thought I'd have a whole bunch of em. Well at least I did before Elisa got sick" he trailed off and Lilly couldn't help but notice the sadness that began to cloud his cheery disposition. She placed her hand on his leg briefly and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Upon their arrival Emilio happily jumped out of the car. He took grab hold of Scotty's and Lilly's hands in each of his own and began to tug them towards the place where Santa was waiting to greet the children.

"Come on Uncle Scotty" He cried cheerfully as he joined the queue. Scotty managed to extricate his hand from Emilio's grip and chuckled.

"I bet you and Mike were like this as kids" Lilly whispered in his ear.

"Nah, I was much more adorable" He replied cockily causing Lilly to roll her eyes

"Do you know how many words there are for conceited" he said teasingly. They moved further and further up the line, watching the numerous children taking their turns telling Santa what they wanted for Christmas.

"Hey Lil, do you think you could watch Em for a minute?" Scotty asked "There's something I need to pick up" Scotty asked ducking out of line. Before she could protest Scotty was gone, leaving Lilly alone to watch his hyperactive nephew. Okay Rush don't panic, she reassured herself, kids can't be that hard to take care of, Scotty made it look easy. Taking a deep breath she turned to Emilio "So...err what are you gonna ask Santa for?" Lilly asked. Emilio began to rattle off an extensive list of toys and video games Lilly had never heard of and couldn't help but feel a little jealous of his innocence. At his age, Lilly was already taking care of both herself and her sister as her mother lay passed out on the couch. She remembered taking Christina to the Santa at the mall by their school once, and she help Chris climb up on his lap and let her ask for thing that Lilly knew she's never get. When it was their turn, their young girl in the elf costume that took the pictures smiled down at Emilio.

"Your Mommy can be in the picture with you if you want" she said looking between Emilio and Lilly.

"That's not my Mommy, that's my aunty Lilly" he said tugging Lilly's hand over to Santa. Lilly helped Emilio up and listen to him as he repeated his extensive list and Santa listen kindly, nodding occasionally and asking Emilio questions. After his photo, he and Lilly exited both holding candy canes, Lilly managed to grab and extra one for Scotty.

Scotty appeared a few minutes later, holding a small bag in his hands "You meet Santa Em?" Scotty asked. Emilio nodded, holding out the photo for Scotty to look at.

"What's in the bag?" Lilly asked curiously

"Oh, this...err it's just something for Ma" he said cryptically "Come on Em, let's go find something for you Mom and dad" He took Emilio by the hand and he, Emilio and Lilly walked off in search of more Christmas presents.


	5. Confessions and comfort

Chapter 5: Confessions and comfort

Emilio dragged them around the mall, running from toy store to toy store, pointing out all the things he wanted. They had lunch in the food court and Emilio happily ate his happy meal as he continued to tell his uncle about the action figure he desperately wanted.

By the time Lilly, Scotty and Emilio had made it back to the house; Emilio had fallen asleep in the back seat. Chuckling slightly, Scotty carried his nephew inside and up to his room.

"Must of worn him out" Lilly whispered as Scotty quietly closed the door and Scotty smiled.

"Yeah, he had fun though" Scotty replied as they made their way back down stairs to the kitchen. Scotty began to pour them some coffee and they retired to the living room.

"Where is everyone else?" Lilly asked curiously, looking around for any signs of his family.

"Ma and Dad are buying supplies for the party tomorrow night and Mike and Allie had to work today" Scotty replied taking a sip of his coffee and sighing contentedly.

"So what were you like as a kid Lil, bet your mom took you to see Santa when you were younger" he inquired his brown eyes sparkling in amusement. When Lilly merely shrugged, he frowned and started to get a little frustrated. He knew his partner wasn't forthcoming with her childhood, over the past five years of them working together he'd gleamed very little about her life, but now she'd seen another side of him, he desperately wanted to get to know her more. "Come on Lil" He said unable to hide his annoyance "Every time I ask you, you clam up. It couldn't have been that bad" Lilly stood up and walked to the window, staring out into the swirling snow. After a few minutes he heard a few quite sniffs and he sighed. "Lil, I am sorry. Just forget it, please don't be upset" she turned to face him, her eyes welling with silent tears. He crossed the room and without waiting for permission, wrapped his strong arms around her. She didn't return him embrace, nor did she push him away. She just allowed him to hold her, breathing in his aftershave and listening to the steady beat of his heart. After what felt like hours she finally pulled back, wiping a hand across her face.

"I am sorry, I can't believe I just cried all over you" she said in a choked voice.

"It's okay Lil, I shouldn't have pushed. If you don't wanna tell me anything it's fine"

"No" Lilly replied, with more force than she'd meant "I mean, were partners and we have been for five years so maybe it's time I actually tell you something about me" Scotty motioned back to the couch and she sat down. "Do you realise how lucky you are" she began "My family consisted of an absent father, alcoholic mother and a whore of a younger sister who could in no wrong in the eyes of my mother. Christmas pretty much consisted of me cleaning up after my mother's latest binge while trying to explain to my baby sister why we didn't have a tree or presents like the rest of her friends. " she sighed and looked across at her partner, his soft brown eyes looking so deep into hers that it filled her with the confidence to go on. "One year I raided my piggy bank, and bought a little fake tree and a present for Chris, told her Santa had finally gotten our address right. She was so happy, until our mother had staggered home and threw out the tree" She felt tears beginning to sting her eyes again and found a comforting hand on her leg. "When I agreed to come here this week, I didn't realise what to expect and these past couple of days I've really had fun" Scotty smiled at her and his hand raised to her cheek, to gently brush away a lone tear. "Your family is so wonderful; your mother is everything a mother should be. Your brother is so nice and you nephew is so adorable" Lilly smiled at him.

"I am glad you're here Lil" Scotty said

"Me too" Lilly replied

Later that night Scotty lay awake, thinking about what Lil had told him. He knew she didn't have the best childhood but he always figured she'd have to of had some good memories. Chris had told him a few great stories when he dated her briefly but know he realised that Lilly had probably shielded her Little sister from the worst. He looked down at her; she looked so peaceful, so content. It was hard to believe that just a few hours before, she'd been crying on his shoulder. He told her about some past Christmases when he was growing up, including the time where he and Mike knocked over the tree on Christmas morning when they'd conspired to sneak down stairs to see if they could catch Santa leaving their presents. Their parents had come running down stairs to find their two sons, standing in amongst broken branches and shattered decorations.

...Scotty was the first to wake up the next morning and he got the shock of his life when he looked down and saw, Lilly Rush, his partner and admittedly his best friend with her head pillowed on his chest, her arm draped over his stomach.

His first thoughts were to quickly and quietly slide out from under her grip before she woke up and kicked his arse. But as he heard her mumble something incoherent and snuggle closer to him, he found he didn't want to leave the bed, he wanted to wrap her in his arms and just hold her. Lilly jerk awake suddenly and realising her position, quickly sat up, blushing furiously.

"Scotty, oh god I am sorry" She said leaping from the bed.

"It's okay Lil, don't worry about it" Scotty replied, trying to keep from blushing himself.

"I...I...am going to take a shower" she said and she practically ran from the room, leaving a completely dumfounded Scotty in her wake.


	6. Party time

Chapter 6: Party time

Lilly didn't appear downstairs for quite a while and when she did she avoided looking Scotty in the eye. She'd been embarrassed to look at him because of what happened that morning, waking up in his arms felt nice, she felt safe and secure for the first time in months but she also knew that he was her partner and it was wrong on so many levels for her to be sleeping on him. The more she tried not to think about it, the more she couldn't stop thinking about it. Scotty tried to initiate small talk with her but she'd only answer with one word answers and as soon as breakfast was over she'd walked outside and was staring out onto the snow covered backyard.

"Is Lilly alright Mijo?" Rosa asked curiously as she collected the plates. Scotty sighed and shrugged

"I don't know Ma" Scotty lied "I'll go talked to her" He said and he followed his partner outside, Lilly was sitting down on the love seat and he could tell that she'd been crying again. "Mind if I sit down?" He asked pointing to the space next to her and she nodded slightly. "Are you still mad at me?" he asked.

Lilly turned to face him utterly mystified "I wasn't mad at you" Lilly said "I was embarrassed" she protested "I mean I woke up...on top of you...I mean..."she covered her face again and he sighed.

"It's no big deal Lil, the bed ain't that big and you're used to sleepin' alone, so am I really, so it was bound to happen sooner or later"

"So you weren't mad" She whispered sheepishly.

"Nah Lil, I ain't mad at you"

She looked slightly relieved and even managed to smile at him. When she smiled at him Scotty felt something stirring in his chest that he hadn't felt in a long time, it was the same kind of feeling he'd gotten when Elisa used to smile at him and it wasn't entirely unwelcome.

When they came back inside, they started to help Rosa with the preparations for the party that evening; Lilly was amazed at the sheer volume of food that Rosa was preparing. Scotty joke that his mother always over catered and that they'd be living off the leftovers for a month. He duck quickly as his mother threw a tea towel in his direction, and muttered at him in Spanish. Although Lilly didn't understand a word of it, she could guess that her partner was being scolded. She giggled at the properly chastised look on his face as he tried to dig himself out of the whole he'd gotten into. At six that evening they'd both retired to their room, to get changed. Lilly sighed as she sorted through the clothes she'd brought with her, trying to find something to wear. But all she had brought her usual pant suit that she'd always wore to work.

"Is there something wrong Lil?" Scotty asked as he pulled out a clean shirt.

"I just don't have anything to wear tonight" She said, slumping down on the bed. Scotty walked over to the door and stuck his head out into the hallway. "Hey Allie, can you come here for a minute" Scotty called.

"No Scotty its fine" Lilly started to protest but Allie was already in the room.

"What's up?" she asked looking between Scotty and Lilly.

"Lil didn't bring anythin to wear tonight; do you think you could help her out?" he asked as he gathered up his shaving kit and clothes and walked out of the room to the bathroom. Allie smiled and sat down on the bed beside Lilly "I think I have a nice dress that should fit you" Allie replied.

"You don't have to Allie, really its fine" Lilly protested earnestly

"Don't be ridiculous, your gonna look so gorgeous that Scotty won't be able to keep his eyes off you" She said wickedly and she grabbed Lilly's hand and dragged her out of the room.

...

The guests began to arrive and Scotty started to talk to one of his cousins, he was so lost in the conversations that it was another twenty minutes before he realised that he hadn't seen Lil yet. Allie walk in and handed Mike a drink and Scotty turned to talk to her "Allie, have you seen Lil?" he asked.

"Yeah, she'll be down in a minute, she's just putting the finishing touches to her makeup"

No sooner had Allie said this than he spotted her, it was if time stop, all he could see was her, he couldn't hear the music, or any of his numerous family members all he could see was her as though they were the only two in the room, his heart was pounding hard against his ribs. She look amazing in the crimson dress that stopped just below her knees and the teasingly low sweep that gave him the slightest glimpse of her creamy swells of her breasts, her hair was straight apart from a few soft curls she'd put in a few strands of hair. She smiled at him and made her way over to him, Allie and Mike.

"Wow Lil" Scotty said finally finding his voice "You look beautiful" he said and without even thinking he leant forward and lightly kissed her cheek.

"Thanks" Lilly replied softly, not entirely sure how she should react to Scotty's kiss

"You wanna dance?" he asked holding out his hand, Lilly nodded and took a hold of it as he led her to the middle of the lounge room where other couple were dancing. He carefully wrapped his hands around her waist and he began to guide her in the slow tempo. "You really look amazin Lil, never seen you in a dress before" he commented "Really suits you".

Lilly blushed slightly at the complement and smile "Thanks" Lilly replied "You scrub up pretty good yourself" she whispered back as she took in the dark blue shirt that accentuated the broad sweep of his shoulders. Truth was she'd never seen him look that good, she was used to seeing him in his work suits, but in this particular shirt...she wasn't sure how to describe the feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her heart was roaring in her ears as she gazed into his eyes, feeling his fingers on her back and she moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and sighing contentedly. They danced together for what seemed like hours, neither one of them wanting to pull away from each other's arms.

Rosa watched them from her vantage point on the couch and she smiled happily, glad her youngest son was happy after all the years of pain and anguish he'd been through, to finally fine someone who could make him as happy as Elisa had, more so it would seem and with someone as wonderful as Lilly. Rosa could sense that Lilly wasn't comfortable at first, meeting the family. But she'd taken to them like a duck to water and Rosa found her to be a calming influence on her son.

...

Scotty and Lilly, made their way over to the small table, laden with drinks and each grab a glass of wine. Lilly was so thirsty after her recent exertions that she'd down the glass almost instantly.

"Oh god, no" Scotty suddenly said as he looked over her shoulder.

"What?" Lilly replied suddenly confused as he started to groan.

"It's just one of my cousins' friends just got here" He said trying to hid behind Lilly "She kinda likes me and whenever we see each other she's always trying to get me to ask her out" Scotty whispered fiercely. Lilly turned slightly to see the woman Scotty was referring to. She was tall brunette and was wearing a very skimpy black dress. Lilly giggled as she watched her partners discomfort "It ain't funny Lil" he breathed "Oh crap she's commin over here"

Lilly barely had time to register the large busted woman making a beeline for Scotty when she felt him pull her closer to him as if he was going to use her as a shield. "Hi Scotty" the woman said seductively, looking Scotty up and down.

"Oh hey Melanie" Scotty replied casually "Err this is my girlfriend Lilly, Lil this is Melanie" he said. Melanie looked taken aback for a few seconds, as if at any moment someone was going to come out and say the whole thing was a big joke "Maria didn't tell me you had a girlfriend" She said, a touch of irritation in her voice.

"Yeah, we've only been datin a few weeks, ain't that right...honey" Scotty said squeezing Lilly lightly and silently begging her to play along. Lilly was torn between her desire to torture him with this recently discovered information and her conscience that was telling her that she should help him out.

"Yeah, that's right" Lilly replied, placing her hand on top of his.

"Oh well, that's nice" Maria said "Well, I am gonna get something to eat" She walked off and Scotty breathed a sigh of relief "Thanks Lil, I owe you one"

"I'll add it to the ever growing list of things that you owe me" Lilly cheekily answered and Scotty chuckled.

Late that night after everyone had gone, Lilly and Scotty dragged themselves upstairs. Scotty was desperate to get out of the living room; Melanie had still tried to get him to dance with her when Lilly had excused herself to go to the bathroom. When he had decline politely she smirk and ran a hand down his arm "Never mind, maybe later" she winked at him and then proceeded to pinch his arse before walking away.

Once inside the bedroom, Scotty let out a breath and Lilly giggled again as she slipped out of her earrings. "It really ain't funny Lil" He groaned.

"Oh I beg to differ, its hilarious" she said teasingly.

"Yeah well you weren't there when she pinched my butt" he said which cause Lilly to laugh harder.

"I woulda thought she was your type Valens" Lilly said comming around the bed to stand in front of him "You know, desperate and falling all over you, like your 'informants'" Lilly continued, making air quotes on the last word. Scotty chuckled darkly and fixed his partner with a determined look. "Oh you are definitely gonna get it now Rush" and he reached for her and started to tickle her. She shrieked with laughter and tried to get away from him, she collapsed onto the bed and Scotty fell on top of her and their laughter died away slowly. She smiled up at him and he smiled back at her "Are you gonna get off me" she said softly.

Scotty shrugged and slowly moved closer to her, lowering his head down to her till he placed a quick kiss on the side of her mouth. Their gaze locked and he leant back in again, this time kissing her full on the lips. Lilly swallowed hard when Scotty broke the short kiss, her breath comming in short bursts, Scotty was breathing heavily as well and as if they had come to unspoken agreement he kissed her again and Lilly felt the pressure of his tongue against her lips and she opened her mouth slightly as he deepened the kiss. Within minutes they began to silently undress each other as they shared deeper and more passionate kisses.


	7. How could it be a mistake?

Chapter seven: How could it be a mistake?

The sunlight streamed through the window and fell upon Lilly's face; she groaned and blearily opened her eyes. It took a few minutes to realise where she was and then she remembered why she was now lying naked next to her equally naked partner whose arm was draped over her waist. She slid out from under his arms and after grabbing some clothes, made a beeline for the bathroom.

Stepping into the shower, she sunk down the floor, allowing the water to wash over her. She and Scotty had made love...twice... and although at the time she was lost in the passion, lost in his kisses, his touch, now in the harsh light of day all she could think about was that it was all one huge mistake. Her tears rolled down her cheeks, washing down the drain as the shower poured over her hunched body.

Scotty sighed happily and opened his eyes; it had been a long time since he'd woken up this satisfied. The sex with Lilly last night had been fantastic; it had been all he could do to keep from making too much noise. The last thing he wanted was for one of his parents to come barging in on them. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was still early. A grin played on his lips as realised that if he woke Lilly up then, maybe they'd have one more go around before they went down to breakfast.

Rolling over however, he found himself all alone. Frowning, he sat up and glanced around for his boxers, finally finding them on the other side of the room, still lying where Lilly had thrown them in the heat of passion. He crept out of the room and across the hallway to the bathroom, he could hear the running water and figured she must be in the shower, thinking that maybe he'd join her he tested the door but he found it lock.

"Lil" he called softly "Hey open up it's me" but the door remained lock and Scotty gave up returning to his room to out on more clothes.

...

Lilly came down to breakfast, hoping that Scotty would be in a similar mindset, that last night was a humongous, colossal mistake and it was one that they would never repeat. But the look in his eyes when she sat down beside him, told her that he was on a completely different wavelength.

"Mornin" Scotty whispered too her

"Hi" Lilly replied, immediately staring into her bowl of porridge to avoid looking directly at him. Maybe she should make up some sort of excuse and head home early, have a few days to think before they went back to work, maybe give Scotty time to realise that it wasn't gonna happen again.

Scotty's hand reached under the table and squeezed her tight, making her leg jerk violently, slamming into the table top.

"Sorry" She apologised quietly to his family, who were all looking curiously at her "Leg cramp"

Scotty looked at her, confusion etching his face. He had to be imagining it; there was no way that she could be flipping out about this. She seemed to enjoy last night just as much as he did, if the way she had pulled a pillow over her head to muffle her moans of ecstasy or the way her fingers had dug into his back had been any indication. But she was definitely making a point of avoiding his gaze and any attempts to make physical contact.

After breakfast, Scotty followed Lilly up to their room and as soon as they were alone he closed the small gap between, and with her back to him, he began trail kisses down her neck as his hands stroked her hips.

"Don't Scotty" she mumble pulling away from him.

"It's alright Lil, everyone is downstairs, and they won't hear us" Scotty said replacing his hands on her waist. He was about to lean in to kiss her shoulder, when she pulled herself out of his grip and whirled around to face him.

"I said don't" she snapped and his brow furrowed in a combination of confusion and frustration.

"What's going on Lil?" he wined

"Last night..." she sighed and turned away from him "...Last night was a mistake Scotty"

"A mistake?" he parroted and he could feel the anger beginning to swell in his chest.

"Yes, a mistake" she confirmed, still not looking at him as she started to pack her suitcase. Scotty could only stand there, in complete silence as he watched her gather up her clothes. Finally he crossed the room, putting himself between her and her suitcase.

"So you're telling me...that, us making love...was a mistake"

"Scotty, just drop it okay" Lilly said and she tried to get around him but he had her bag covered.

"No I will not drop it Lil, we had sex it wasn't like it's against the law or anythin"

"Scotty, it shouldn't have happened, we're partners do you realise how many regs we broke" She sighed dropping her clothes back on the bed "If Boss found out he'd have our asses."

"Is that all that matters to you?"

"This job is all I've got Scotty and I am not going to throw it away over something this trivial"

It had felt like Lilly had stabbed him in his chest "Trivial?" She could see something that looked like pain, flash in his eyes but the sooner she recognised it, it was gone.

"Yes, there is no point Scotty...this" she gestured between them "Us...it will never happen...not in a million years"

"Well that's just great Lil" he said sarcastically "So I don't get a say in this at all?"

"There is nothing to talk about Scotty...last night will never happen again...there is no point when nothing will come of it and it will only end in tears"

"I can't believe you're doing this again" He said

"Doing what?" she asked feeling her own anger beginning to rise in the face of his fury.

"Giving up on a relationship before it even begins" Scotty replied

"What relationship Scotty...we not even together" She snapped

"Well at least I've been in a relationship that lasted longer than five minutes" Scotty replied

"What's that supposed to mean" Lilly yelled back.

"It means that at least I am willing to try...at least I don't use the past as an excuse not to let people get to close to me"

"Yeah well at least I don't lie to people and say that I dating someone when I am really not" she screamed back. Scotty saw red and before he could stop himself he'd he was yelling at her

"You know you have spent years trying not to be your mother but you've ended up exactly like her" Scotty scathed "All you need is a bottle of vodka and you'd be a spittin image"

The bedroom door banged open, Mike, Allie, Rosa and Ramiro were standing in the doorway, staring at the two partners. Scotty realised he'd gone too far; he saw her lip quiver and could see tears shimmering in her eyes.

"I've gotta go" she said and she grabbed her bad and pushed past his stunned family, who's eyes were fixed on Scotty. He ran his hand threw his hair and sat down on the bed, wishing he could turn back time and take back the last thing he'd said to her.


	8. Hurt feelings and realisations

Chapter 8: Hurt feelings and realisations

Lilly headed out of the townhouse and onto the snow covered lawn, trying desperately to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. Scotty had compared her to her mother, told her she was basically the same person, the one person she had tried all her adult life to be nothing like. The fact that Scotty told her that she'd failed and all that was needed was a bottle of vodka to make her indistinguishable from her alcoholic mother made her feel as he'd driven a stake in her heart. She had to get out of there, she couldn't face him, she just wanted to get home and not think about what he'd said, not even think about him, or his soulful brown eyes that looked at her with such pain as she told him that a relationship between them was as likely to happen as hell freezing over. To try and forget the feeling of his lips against hers, his hands blazing a path across her sweat soaked skin...

"Lilly?" She whipped around and saw Mike, comming towards her, pulling on his jacket "You're not gonna walk home are you?" he asked

"I am fine" Lilly lied trying to hide the tears making their way down her flushed cheeks.

"Come on, it's freezin" Mike said steeping closer to her "At least let me give you a lift somewhere" He offered pointing to his car. Considering his offer briefly she realised she didn't really want to walk all the way back home and by the look of those clouds it was about to snow again. So she nodded and Mike smiled at her, a smile that reminded her of Scotty's cheeky grin and she made a point of looking through her handbag for something so Mike wouldn't see her red and swollen eyes.

They drove in silence for a while, Mike turning on the heat to try and combat the bitterness outside. "I am sorry" She whispered

"For what?" Mike asked curiously

"For ruining your celebrations, I shouldn't have ever come this week" Lilly continued

Mike shook his head "Nah Lilly, you didn't ruin anythin" Mike said with compassion and Lilly shot him a disbelieving look.

"Are you kidding, I am sure you could hear us fighting a mile away" She quipped as Mike shrugged.

"Couples bicker" Mike replied

"We're...we're not a couple...but I suppose you knew that" Lilly stared out the window and sighed. Mike shrugged "We figured" he said "But it will be okay Lilly, you'll make up"

To this Lilly snorted her disbelief "I quite frankly don't care if I never see your brother again" Lilly snapped hoping he didn't hear the uncertainty in her voice.

"I am sure that's not true"

"After what he said to me...after he compared me too..." Lilly trailed off again as she felt the tears stinging her eyes again.

"Whatever he said Lilly, I am sure he didn't mean it" another snort came from Lilly's side of the car "Lil, my little brother may be a complete idiot when it comes to relationships and he might be a complete bastard when he is in pain...but he'd rather die than hurt the people he loves Lil and I can tell he does love you"

"He doesn't love me" She replied

"Even before you came over this week I thought he had feelings for you, he used to talk about you...a lot actually"

Lilly's curiosity was peaked despite her still present anger "He did?" She asked

"Yeah, even when he first made homicide. He came over and told us about his new partner. At first he was a bit pissed off at being stuck with you" Mike began with a slight chuckle "But as the weeks went on he started talking about how great you were and how smart and intuitive and how he was really enjoying workin with you" Lilly looked over at Scotty's brother, a slight smile creased his face and he resembled Scotty it was almost painful to look into the familiar eyes "It was then he started bringing you up in conversation... Lilly said this, or Lilly told me that...and on and on. I used to tease him that he had a crush on you but he denied it. But one day I met him for lunch and I saw the two of you walking back into the department and the way he was looking at you, the way he kept touching your arm and laughing at something you were saying... I knew then that he had more than friendly feelings towards you Lil and I was wondering how long it was gonna take him to realise it."

Mike pulled up outside Lilly's apartment and she opened the car door "Just give it some time Lil, think about it, I know Scotty will be kicking himself right about now...let him stew for a couple of days before you hear him out though" Lilly chuckled slightly as she slid out of the car.

"Thanks Mike" she said and she gave him a slight smile before walking up the stairs to her townhouse.

...

Scotty sat on the bed, staring out the window. He had tried calling her but she wasn't picking up and he knew he had gone too far when he compared her to her alcohol soaked mother, she wasn't anything like her mother, not even close...so why did he say that to her. He buried his face in his hands and swore repeatedly to himself.

There was a soft knock on the door and he turned to see Allie standing in the doorway.

"Mike's taking Lilly home, thought you'd wanna know" she said and Scotty nodded

"Thanks Allie" he replied and he returned to staring out the window.

"So what happened?" she asked crossing the room to sit next to him.

"Didn't you hear us?" Scotty asked "We were loud enough"

Allie shook her head and placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder "No I mean you guys were so happy why did you fight?"

"She said that she didn't...she said we couldn't be together" Scotty could feel tears welling up in his eyes and he stood up and walked over to the window so she wouldn't see.

"Why did she say that?" Allie asked "You too were great together"

"I lied, Lil and I... we ain't...she's not my girlfriend...she never was" Scotty said sadly

"I knew that already Scotty" Allie replied

"Of course you did...everyone knew"

"I meant why didn't she say she didn't want to be together?"

"Lil's...complicated" he finished lamely "She's just had so disappointment in her life and I guess she's just afraid to..."

"Did you tell her how you feel about her Scotty?" Allie asked as she came up behind him

"What do you mean?" He asked

"Did you tell her that you love her?" Allie inquired and Scotty could only stare at her. He wasn't in love with her...was he? Sure he was attracted to her, she was gorgeous and funny, smart, amazing...oh god he was wasn't he and now she'd left and probably never speak to him again.

"What am I supposed to do now Allie, she won't speak to me ever again" Scotty wined

"She will if you go over there and grovel your ass off"

Scotty chuckled and turned to face her "You think?"

Allie nodded "Mike's screwed up more times than I can count and I've always forgiven him...because I love him and I can tell that she loves you Scotty, so just go talk to her"

Scotty grinned at her and kissed her cheek "Thanks Allie" he said and practically ran from the room.

...


	9. Waiting for forgiveness

Chapter 9: Waiting for forgiveness

Lilly sat on her couch, staring into the fire with both cats curled up beside her. She'd come home, took a shower and made her way to the living room. After finding nothing on, she decided just to sit in silence mulling over the events of the week. Her trip to the mall with Scotty and Emilio, the snowball fight on the front lawn, having dinner with his family, dancing with him at the party...sleeping with him. Try as she might she couldn't forget what he'd said to her because the more she thought about the more she realised he was right. Her mother was never the same after her father left, turning to alcohol and the endless scores of men to cover her pain. While Lilly's vice wasn't alcohol or relationships, it was her job and she used it as an excuse to avoid being in relationships. Even when she had a relationship she used her past as reasons not to let anyone get close to her. With Kite she tried to resist any relationship with him at first even though she liked him and when they did finally get together, she'd been so obsessed with the Lover's lane case that she had pushed him away and more recently it was Joseph. She had feelings for him that she hadn't for anyone since Patrick even before she realised he was alive, but her past with Ray had ruined that because she still wanted to hang on to the past she'd had with Ray she'd ruined her possible future with Joseph.

After he'd left she begun to realise that maybe she wasn't meant to have a happy healthy relationship with anyone, her scads of issues had made it almost impossible for her to trust anyone...but she trusted Scotty...trusted him with her life every time they walked out those doors of the department. Trusted that he'd have her back any time that they might get into something dangerous and he had.

The only time she had found cause to have doubts about him was when he'd dated Chris, but that had only lasted a few weeks and he apologised profusely afterwards and gradually Lilly had forgiven him and he had regained her trust and respect. And now after a week of pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend had ended in them not even being friends, even in her fake relationships she was a failure. She hoped in time that they could have at least a cordial working relationship but at this point she couldn't see how, not when all she saw when she saw when she thought of him was his raw emotion in the heat of passion or when they were fighting, either made it impossible for her to picture herself in the same room with him without seeing those memoires being played over and over in her head as if on a continuous loop.

...

Scotty was stuck in traffic; it was if everyone in Philly had chosen that moment to go for a drive in order to prevent him from going to Lilly's. Slamming his fist on the horn again at the sedan in front that hadn't notice the light change he managed to turn off and head down a side street he hoped would get him to Lilly's faster.

He couldn't help but replay images over and over again in his mind as if some movie of all the worst things he'd ever done was being projected in his subconscious. Sleeping with Chris, lying to Lilly, their fight about her in the lobby of the department, then almost losing her to George and now this fight that now seemed to rank as the dumbest thing he'd ever done. He really didn't know why he said that to her because the more he thought about what Allie said, the more he realised that she was right...he had feelings for her, feelings stronger than he ever had for anyone. He was completely and absolutely in love with her, now he only hoped that he could get her to listen to him long enough to tell her that and pray that she wouldn't run again.

As he turned onto her street, he felt his heart begin to beat faster and faster. This was it he thought this was going to be the moment he was going to tell her. But this might also be the last time he would get a chance because he realised that if she rejected him now, there was no way he could continue to work with her. He request a transfer or quit the force entirely because he knew in his heart there was no way he could still work so closely with her, be able to see her everyday and not want to grab hold of her and kiss her like there was no tomorrow. As he parked the car and bounded up the stairs in the freshly falling snow he knew that he was either about to be happy or about to be more miserable then when Elisa died. So with that he raised his fist and wrapped hard on the door.

...

Lilly looked up as she heard the sharp knocking on her door, who the hell was at her front door now. Sighing she walked over to her window and pulled back the curtain and looked out onto the quite street. The snow was really beginning to come down out there and as she looked towards her front door she saw, standing under the dim light of her porch lamp, was the one person in the world she didn't want to see right now, standing there covered snow dusting his coast and hair was Scotty.

"Lil" he called through the door, unaware that she was watching him at her window "Come on you know I you in there, Mime drop you off. Will you just let me in its freezing out here and we need to talk"

"Go away Scotty" she called through the window and he turned to face her and she could see his face crack into a smile and he walked over to the window and looked in at her. "Please Lil I want to talk, can you just let me in" he said.

"No" she snapped and she drew the curtains and turned her back to the door, hoping he would just go away, no such luck

"I am gonna stay out here till you let me in Lil" he called playfully from outside "And its getting pretty cold out here surely you don't want me to freeze. She responded by turning off her porch light, leaving him in the gathering darkness and ever growing cold. Suddenly thinking that this was not such a good idea after all, He sank down on her steps. He was going to wait her out; she'd either let him in or find him the next morning frozen to her front step.

...

Lilly peered down at the figure on her front step from her bedroom window, he had already been out there for half an hour and he showed no signs of relenting. She left the vantage point and sat down on the bed and buried her head in her hands. What was she going to do; he was guarding her doorstep in the freezing snow waiting for her to let him in. She wasn't sure that she wanted to hear what he had to say, she knew it would be most likely an apology so he could relieve himself of guilt but she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to hear it. She looked up again and saw the snow had gotten heavier; she supposed she should let him in or face him freezing the death on her front stoop. Just as stood up her phone rang and she crossed the room to answer it.

"Hello"

"Hey Lil its Beth from next door, I was just letting you know there's this strange guy sitting on your front steps. Did you want me to call the cops?"

"No it's alright, I know him" Lilly said "I'll get rid of him" Lilly said and she hung up the phone and proceeded down stairs.


	10. Comming in out of the cold

Chapter 10: Comming in out of the cold

Scotty turned as he heard the locks click and the door creaked open, Lilly stood in the doorway looking at him up and down. He got to his feet quickly and brushed off the snow from his shoulders.

"Hey" he said nervously

"The neighbours are starting to complain about you" Lilly said "Had to stop them from calling the cops" Scotty chuckled slightly.

Lilly sighed "Scotty why are you here?" she asked softly

"To apologise Lil" He said shivering slightly and she noticed that all he had on was a sweater.

"God Scotty its freezing out here" She said compassionately

"It's really fine" Scotty said his breath steaming in front of him.

"Your lips are blue for god sake" Lilly replied and she stood back from the door and gestured inside "Look, just come in before you freeze to death"

Scotty nodded and followed her inside her warm townhouse, shutting the door behind her. Scotty cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair, dusting the snow out of it and settled down on the couch beside her.

"Lil, you gotta know how sorry I am, for what I said" he began "You ain't anythin like your mother Lil" Lilly got off the couch and started to pace, she was angry...good anger he could deal with anger.

"What you said really hurt me Scotty" she said forcefully "Because I beginning to realise you where right, I am exactly like her"

"No you ain't Lil" Scotty protested

"Yes I am, I may not be an alcoholic but I am a workaholic. I don't let anyone get close to me because I am constantly afraid I'll get hurt because it's happened before." Lilly took a breath and continued "And because I do that I am all alone and I hate being alone Scotty"

"You ain't alone Lil" he said standing up to walk over to her "You got me" he tried to put a hand on her shoulder but she pulled away. "But we can't Scotty; you know what my track records like. I'll do something or say something and then you'll be running for the hills and I wouldn't blame you, but then I really will be all alone because I won't have you" she could feel tears welling up in her eyes again and she turned away from him, sobbing quietly.

He came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders "Your never gonna lose me Lil, you hear me...never" and before she could protest he pulled her into his arms, wrapping his arms around her. Lilly clutched at his shirt and let her tears poor down her cheeks, soaking into his clothing.

And he held her for what felt like hours, never lessening his grip on her, he wanted to prove he was going nowhere. He pressed a kiss onto the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her shampoo and that intoxicating aroma that was just her. This was the time to tell her, now was his chance. He pulled back and lifted her chin so he could look her in her sapphire eyes. "I am in love with you Lil, I love you so much" she smiled through her tears as he lowered his head to kiss her. She moaned softly as she felt the gentle pressure of his tongue against her lips. Lilly's heart was pounding against her ribs and she pulled him closer, deepening the kiss as his hand journeyed their way from her waist, up her back and into her hair. He pulled back, out of breath but a grin plastered to his face and she smiled right back at him. "I love you too Scotty" Lilly whispered and he pulled her back into another kiss as they moved off down the hall to her bedroom.

...

Lilly pillowed her head on his chest, trailing her fingers of the vast expanses of his defined torso and sighed contentedly. "That was amazing" she said pressing a kiss to his skin and he wrapped her in his arms again, kissing her forehead. "Yes it was" he replied sleepily.

"Definitely something we have to repeat on a regular basis" Lilly replied dreamily and Scotty chuckled.

"Definitely" Scotty agreed.

And they drifted off to a very satisfying sleep

...

Scotty came down the next morning and found Lilly in the kitchen clad only in his t-shirt and he crept up behind her as she was making coffee, wrapping his arms around her.

"Mornin beautiful" he whispered as he pressed kisses to her neck.

"Morning handsome" Lilly replied happily and she turned to face him, draping her arms around his neck.

"So what did you wanna do today?" Scotty asked pulling her closer to him and wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Don't you have to go back to your parents, it's Christmas Eve" Lilly said with slight disappointment. Scotty considered her for a few moments before pulling her out of the kitchen towards her bedroom. "Scotty what are you doing?" she asked as he pulled out a pair of Lilly's jeans and a t-shirt and thrust them at her.

"Well if I am goin so are you" Scotty said as he slipped into his pants.

Lilly shook her head violently and backed away from him "Scotty I can't"

"Why not Lil?" he asked curiously

"Because...its embarrassing Scotty we had a fight"

"So, We all fight from time to time, my parents will understand Lil"

"But...we lied to them Scotty...we told them that we were together" she protested as he slipped into his shoes.

"So, we're together now ain't we?" Scotty crossed the room and wrapped her in his arms.

"Yeah, but Scotty..." he silenced her by pressing his lips against hers.

"You and me Lil...we are family now and I want you to come with me...I wanna spend Christmas with you" He whispered to her, his forehead leaning against hers, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. Sighing, Lilly finally relented and got changed, following him down the hall and out to his car.

...

To Lilly's surprise, no one even brought up the fight between her and Scotty. In fact they were all acting like it didn't happen. Scotty was beaming, all night long he had his arms around her, or was kissing her cheek and as they retired to their bedroom, he pulled her into his arms as they collapsed with exhaustion into the bed. "I love you Lil" he murmured as his eyes slid closed.

"I love you too Scotty"

...

Christmas day and Lilly woke up in Scotty's arms. For the first time Lilly didn't flip out, instead she sighed happily and snuggled closer to him, pressing a kiss to his chest. Scotty stirred and looked down at the enigmatic blonde in his arms; he had to remind himself that he wasn't dreaming that she was really here and that she was willing to give them a try.

"Merry Christmas Lil" he murmured

"Merry Christmas Scotty" Lilly replied

"Did you sleep well?" He asked her as she lifted her head of his shoulder to look him in the eyes.

"Yeah, I did" she answered softly and leaned in to kiss him. Scotty threaded his fingers through her hair. He broke the kiss and smiled at her "Did you want your Christmas present now" he asked, his grin spreading across his face. Lilly's heart dropped to her stomach, she hadn't gotten him anything.

"You got me a present...but I didn't get you anything" she protested.

Scotty just shook his head and kissed her lips quickly again "You already got me the best present ever Lil" he said and when she looked confusedly at him he chuckled "I got you Lil and that's the best present I have every gotten" Lilly blushed at the sentiment. Scotty slid out of bed and walked over to his suitcase, pulling out the little bag that he had with him at the mall, the bag he had said contained a present for his mother. Her heart instant was overwhelmed with more love for him than she'd ever felt for anyone and she felt tears stinging her eyes. He had gotten her a present even when they were only partners; they had never exchanged gifts before not even for birthdays. Her trembling fingers took the bags and opened it. A rectangular, red velvet box was inside and she looked up at him seeing that cocky grin that was plastered across his face.

"Go on Lil, open it" he said as he got back into bed. She obeyed and her breath caught in her throat as she saw what was in it.

A delicate silver necklace, with a small locket attached to it "I was get it engraved, but I didn't have time" He said. Tears welled up in her eyes as she pick up the necklace in her hands.

"It's beautiful Scotty" she said and he took it from her hand and draped it over her neck, doing up the clasp.

"Not as beautiful as you" he said kissing her again.

She wrapped her arms around him and they fell backwards against the pillows.


	11. Where are we now?

A/n: Last Chapter and I want to thank all those of you who review. I really appreciate it and it inspires me to write more. This chapter is set five years after the last chapter.

Chapter 11: Where are we now?

Rosa hurried about her kitchen making final preparations for their Christmas celebrations. Scotty and Lilly would be arriving any minute. She heard the crunch of gravel in the driveway and she smiled broadly.

"Ramiro, they are here" she called up the stairs as car doors slammed; Scotty's father came down the stairs and opened the door. He doubled over as something small with blonde hair attached itself to his leg. "Abuelo" it squealed happily. Ramiro chuckled happily and lifted his granddaughter into his arms.

"Holá Mia" he said kissing her on the forehead and she giggled.

"Holá" she cried happily wrapping her tiny arms around his neck.

Ramiro looked down the driveway as he saw Scotty and Lilly walking up to the porch.

"Hey Dad, sorry were late, Lilly took forever to get ready" he said as he received a punch on his arm and he chuckled as a very pregnant Lilly glared at him.

"Yeah well if you were carrying an extra person around inside of you you'd take forever to get ready to" Lilly replied as he helped her up the stairs.

Mia held out her arms towards Scotty and he took her form his father, kissing his three year old daughter on her rosy cheek. She had inherited her mother's beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair, and his cheeky grin and he had never fallen more instantly in love with anything in his whole life then he had when the doctor had handed her to him just a few minutes after she was born.

He and Lilly had been together for a year when he decided that he wanted to marry her, he planned it out and one evening over a romantic candlelight dinner, he popped the question and she'd immediately had said yes. They were married six months later and a few weeks after they got married, Lilly found out she was pregnant. At first he thought she would flip out but he was delighted to learn that she was just as excited as he was. All his dreams were comming true, a wife and a baby.

Now five years after they had gotten together, their beautiful daughter had just turned three and Lilly was pregnant with their second child and when they learned that this one was a boy, Scotty was thrilled, he had always wanted a son and in a few short weeks, he'd be able to hold him.

"How are you going Lil?" Rosa asked as she stood in the doorway.

"I am fine, I feel like a beached whale though" she replied and Rosa chuckled as she led them inside the warm house. Scotty lowered his daughter to the ground and she ran off giggling happily. Lilly groaned as she sat down on the couch and placed a hand on her rounded belly.

"Baby" Mia babbled, pointing her chubby finger at Lilly's stomach.

"That's right Honey" Lilly leant forward and kissed her daughter, she was amazed how much she reminded her of Scotty. Those little dimples when she smiled, her cute little nose. Lilly couldn't get believe it. If you'd asked her six years ago if she considered having children, she would have said no way and if you'd asked her if she'd marry her partner she probably would have laughed in your face. But that amazing week had opened her eyes to the possibility that she didn't have to be alone. The minute she had found out she was pregnant, she had felt something that she'd never felt before...that her life was complete, that everything was as it should be. Mia crawled up on the couch beside Lilly and put her hand on her stomach.

"My brother" she gurgled happily and Lilly wrapped an arm around her tiny frame, pulling her into a hug. Scotty came over and sat down beside them, lifting his daughter on his lap and draped his arm around Lilly and pressed a kiss to her forehead and sighed happily.

...

Scotty closed the bedroom door softly and crept back down the hall, it had taken him half an hour to get Mia to sleep and he was exhausted. He collapsed onto the bed next to Lilly and covered his face with his hands.

"Holy crap I am beat" he moaned as Lilly chuckled "I had to read the velveteen rabbit five times, before she'd go to sleep" he muttered and Lilly chuckled.

"She loves that book" Lilly replied comming up behind him and pressing a kiss to his cheek, gently massaging his shoulders.

"That feels really good Lil" he groaned as Lilly leaned in to kiss his neck. Scotty all of a sudden didn't feel tired and he lifted his neck to allow her better access. All of a sudden she stopped; Scotty moaned softly his eyes closed.

"Oh baby, don't stop" he muttered but when she didn't return to her ministrations he turned around to see his wife, winching and clutching her stomach. "Baby, you okay" he asked placing his hand on top of hers

"Ahh, yeah I think so" she replied "Just a cramp, I think"

Scotty frowned and leaned in to kiss her on her forehead, he knew she'd be very uncomfortable lately "I am sorry baby" he whispered "Wish there something I could do"

"You can have our next child" she pouted and he laughed again and kissed her softly.

...

At one am the following morning Scotty was violently shaken awake by Lilly "Lil, what's goin' on" he asked sleepily.

"I think those cramps I been havin are contractions, the baby's comming" she said gasping as another contraction washed over her.

"That's nice" he replied still half asleep, Lilly looked down at him, wondering how long it would take for what she'd just said to sink in..."Wait, what?" he cried sitting bolt upright and almost falling out of bed "The baby comming" he placed a hand on her stomach again.

"Yeah"

Scotty leaped from the bed and through on his t-shirt, as he hopped around the room trying to slip into his pants he fell over and Lilly, despite her pain, laughed "Scotty, calm down...its early honey...Mia took ten hours" Scotty eased himself off the floor and chuckled.

"I guess I am just nervous" he said comming around to her side of the bed "I am gonna get everyone up okay baby, then we go to the hospital" Lilly nodded and after a kiss on the top of her head he hurried out of the room.

...

Half an hour later, Rosa, Ramiro, Mike, Allie, Emilio, Scotty, Mia and Lilly hurried into the hospital.

"Mamma's having baby" Mia cried happily from Mike's arms, clapping her hands together.

"That's right bub" Scotty replied kissing his daughters head as Lilly sat down in a wheelchair. Mike agreed to watch Mia as they wheeled Lilly down the hallway to the birthing suites.

After they got Lilly into a gown and hooked her up to the baby monitors, the nurses left to get the doctor leaving Lilly and Scotty alone.

"So we have to decide on a name" Scotty said as he sat down in the chair beside her bed and took her hand in his.

"I still Like Miguel or Carlos"

"He doesn't have to have a Spanish name honey" Scotty said softly

"But I know your heritage is important to you" Lilly replied "plus it would mean so much to your parents" Scotty just grinned and kissed her cheek.

"Lil, your givin em another grandchild, they are happy" Lilly smiled and caressed his cheek

"There must be one name you've been thinking of" she said softly

"Well there is one name; I always wanted my first son to be named after my grandfather, Javier"

"It's beautiful" Lilly replied softly and he grinned and kissed her softly. "Javier Scott Valens"

...

Eighteen hours of painful labour later, the doctor handed their new son to Scotty. He looked down at him, tears of joy welling in his eyes. "He is gorgeous Lil" Scotty said and he pressed a kiss to her sweaty forehead.

"He looks just like his daddy" Lilly replied as Scotty handed him to her.

The others came into the room and Mike placed Mia on the bed next to them "Brother" Mia said sleepy, gently putting her hand on the newborn's leg.

"That's right Mia, you're a big sister now" Scotty murmured hugging her towards him. Lilly kissed Javier on his cheek and sighed happily. She'd never been happier then she was in that moment and as she looked up into Scotty's soulful brown eyes, she knew that she'd only have more happy moments and memories as she and Scotty spent the rest of their lives together.

The End


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